Hollywood Wives (miniseries)

Did You Know?

• The miniseries was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Film Editing in a Limited Series or a Special in 1985.
• Costume design was by Nolan Miller, who also designed for Dynasty.
• Collins told TV Times that the script was written by a man, directed by a man, and produced by men, diminishing the strength of women in the story.

Plot

Movie star Gina Germaine, weary of her sex symbol image, seeks a serious role in director Neil Gray's anticipated film Final Reunion, written by his wife Montana. Studio boss Oliver Easterne wants veteran star George Lancaster for the part. At a premiere, George accepts a hospital donation award, angering his daughter Karen, who sees his philanthropy as hypocritical. Karen is friends with Neil's ex-wife Marilee, who resents his happy marriage. Elaine Conti, married to fading actor Ross, schemes to revive his career by obtaining the Final Reunion script and throwing a lavish party to attract agent Sadie LaSalle, who once represented Ross before he dropped her at his peak. Ross, insecure about his looks, secretly sleeps with young actresses and Karen, straining his marriage. Meanwhile, Neil, a recovering alcoholic, becomes entangled with Gina.

Main cast

Candice Bergen plays Elaine Conti, a Detroit-born Hollywood hostess whose marriage to former sex symbol Ross Conti is crumbling; she is a compulsive shoplifter desperate to boost her husband's career. Joanna Cassidy portrays Marilee Gray, a wealthy socialite and Elaine's close friend, daughter of a studio boss and ex-wife of director Neil Gray. Mary Crosby is Karen Lancaster, daughter of superstar George Lancaster, with whom she has a strained relationship; she pursues Elaine's husband Ross.

Angie Dickinson plays Sadie LaSalle, a powerful Hollywood agent who made Ross a star in the 1950s. Steve Forrest is Ross Conti, a fading star in his fifties. Anthony Hopkins plays Neil Gray, a British film director and recovering alcoholic caught in a seductive web with Gina. Roddy McDowall appears as Jason Swankle, an interior designer who runs a male escort agency.

Stefanie Powers is Montana Gray, Neil's second wife and a screenwriter determined to break the glass ceiling. Suzanne Somers plays Gina Germaine, a star willing to blackmail Neil to advance her career. Robert Stack is George Lancaster, a beloved but still-successful superstar. Rod Steiger plays Oliver Easterne, an abrasive studio boss. Andrew Stevens appears as Buddy Hudson and Deke Andrews.

Ratings and reception

Part one premiered on Sunday February 17, 1985, finishing 7th for the week but top-rated for the night, with a 22 rating and 33 share. Parts two and three ranked 13th and 2nd the following week. Washington Post critic Tom Shales wrote facetiously that the lower-than-expected ratings might lead ABC to reconsider its programming. Critical reviews were generally negative, but the miniseries has gained enduring popularity for its eclectic cast and kitschy excesses, including its Baroque, operatic climactic scenes, and has been retrospectively appreciated as full-scale televisual camp.

International distribution

In the United Kingdom, ITV broadcast the miniseries on October 28 and 29, 1985, with Parts Two and Three airing nearly back-to-back on the latter date. The final installment lost seventeen minutes when the third of four reels networked by Central ITV failed to reach all but one region; Thames Television, covering London, aired the episode intact the following night due to the Thames Telethon, becoming the only region to complete the broadcast.